Suspected hate crimes in Finland fall by 20.6% in 2012

Suspected hate crimes in 2012 totaled 732, which is a 20.6% fall from 918 cases in the previous year, according to YLE in English. Of the total hate crimes reported to the police last year, 641 cases were classified as racist.

As long as Finland gives political space to intolerance in any shape or form, which encourages hate crimes to happen, these types of statistics should be taken with a grain of salt. At the best, the police should encourage immigrants and visible minorities to report hate crimes.

The first line reads “racist crimes” (rasistiset rikokset) and the second one “other hate crimes” (muut viharikokset). This table has two discrepancies with earlier figures published by the Police College of Finland. In 2008 the corresponding figure was 859 and in 2011 918. Source: Police College of Finland.

Like in other parts of Europe, a Race Council Cymru study of Wales revealed how racism goes “underreported,” according to a story published by the BBC,

Factors like language barriers, fear of reprisals and lack of trust in the police are some reasons why racist crimes continue to be underreported in Wales.

We all win when we all take the issue of social inclusiveness to be an important part of modern societies. It is a sad fact in both Europe and throughout the rest of the world Klay that majorities have often abused their majority position to take advantage of minorities and to abuse them. That is the very clear and consistent lesson of history. So, what do we have by way of tools to combat that kind of abuse of a person’s basic freedoms in a modern democracy? We need an accurate picture of the problem.

What you set out was not simply a possibility to manipulate statistics to fulfill a preconceived idea about high levels of racism in Finland, it also constitutes a very well-practiced form of denial about racism in a country – when people complain that statistics go up, it is because policing is working better and more are feeling ‘safer’ to report, and when statistics go down, it is because real rates are falling. In other words, when it comes to manipulation, there are FOUR possibilities, not just the two that you put forward. To get to the truth, we need to test all FOUR sets of assumptions. Now why didn’t you mention that Klay?

The answer is a mixture of measures, surveys that test public confidence in the police among minorities, that ask about different forms of racism and it’s frequency. Relying entirely on reports to police or actual convictions does not work, simply because these measures are so difficult to interpret on their own.

I don’t see you calling for better measuring of these social ills, Klay? I only see you attempting to discredit and put doubt into the minds of people when it comes to any interpretation that might highlight a problem in Finland. That’s as blinded as you foolishly interpret our view to be.